21 August 2014

(Pro-)Russian extremists in 2006 and 2014: the Dugin Connection

In August 2006, Russian fascist Aleksandr Dugin and his Eurasian Youth Union (Евразийский союз молодежи, ESM) organised a summer camp where ultranationalist activists were further indoctrinated and trained to fight against democratic movements in neighbouring independent states. Looking at the pictures from that camp, I have identified at least five people who, in 2014, were engaged in the terrorist activities of (pro-)Russian extremists in Eastern Ukraine.

Andrey Purgin in the ESM camp, 2006

Andrey Purgin, 2014

Andrey Purgin, first "Prime Minister" of the "Donetsk People's Republic". In 2006, he was a leader of the organisation "Donetsk Republic".

Oleg Frolov in the ESM camp, 2006

Oleg Frolov, 2014

Oleg Frolov, a member of the "parliament of the Donetsk People's Republic". Like Purgin, he was a leader of the "Donetsk Republic" in 2006.

Konstantin Knyrik in the ESM camp, 2006

Konstantin Knyrik, 2014

Konstantin Knyrik, head of the information centre "South-Eastern Front". In 2006, he was a leader of the Crimean branch of the Eurasian Youth Union.

Oksana Shkoda in the ESM camp, 2006

Oksana Shkoda, 2014

Oksana Shkoda, representative of the general headquarters of the "Donetsk People's Republic".

The Eurasian Youth Union was established in 2005 with the money from the Presidential Administration of Russia on the initiative of Aleksandr Dugin and Vladislav Surkov, then deputy head of the Presidential Administration. These pictures are only a small amount of evidence that Russia's war on Ukraine has been planned a long time ago.